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The Best Ever Chocolate Chunk Cookies are made with brown butter, plenty of vanilla, and tons of gooey chocolate! You can chill the dough for up to 2 days, or freeze it! This is a great recipe!
Brown Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookies
So last week I realized the craziest thing… I’ve never shared my favorite chocolate chunk cookie recipe with you. I seriously had to check the archives to make sure I wasn’t mistaken. But nope… no chocolate chunk cookies to be found. So I busted into the kitchen and baked them for you AT ONCE!
Is that love or what?
Ingredients for Chocolate Chunk Cookies:
- butter: unsalted or salted will work! but if you’re using salted, reduce the salt called for in the dry ingredients by 1/4 teaspoon.
- sugar: you’ll use a combination of brown sugar and granulated sugar (also known as white sugar). light brown sugar or dark brown sugar may be used.
- eggs: two large ones, at room temperature!
- vanilla extract: just a dash will enhance all the other flavors in this recipe.
- flour: all-purpose!
- salt: to balance out the flavors.
- baking soda: helps leaven the cookie dough, which in turn gives us soft and chewy cookies.
- and finally, chocolate chunks! you know i’m a lindt lover, so i their 70% chocolate bars. but use your favorite brand! and yes, you can even use chocolate chips, instead.
Tips and Tricks for Recipe Success:
- If you’ve never browned butter before, don’t sweat it! It’s so darn easy. You’ll need a saute pan, 2 sticks of butter, and a touch of patience – that’s it! You’ll start off melting the butter; once the butter has completely melted, you’ll continue to cook the butter, on medium heat (or medium-low if your stove top runs hot), until it’s turned a golden brown and smells slightly nutty. Just be sure you stay stove side once the butter has melted; brown butter can turn into burnt butter very fast.
- You will need to bring your browned butter back to room temperature before incorporating it into the recipe. To do this, simply pour the butter into a heatproof bowl and place it in the fridge for about 1 hour. You want it solid, but soft enough that when you gently press it with your finger it leaves an indentation. Be sure your butter is at the proper temperature before you begin baking. If it’s too warm, you’ll cookies will spread all over the pan 🙁
- I recommend using high-quality chocolate chunks for this recipe. If you can find them at your local grocery store (they’re usually right next to the chocolate chips), you can buy bars of chocolate and chop them into chunks. I prefer this method because it allows me to control the size of the chunks. I like to chop 80% of them small then leave 20% really big so they get all gooey and dramatic. I used Lindt 70% chocolate, but use any brand you know and trust. Of course, in a pinch, you could also use an equal amount of chocolate chips. As far as variety, milk chocolate, dark chocolate, or semi-sweet chocolate all work well, but we love this recipe with dark chocolate!
- Don’t over bake! Your cookies should be set at the edges but still soft in the center.
- Be sure to allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for a full 10 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack. They need the 10 minutes to firm up so they don’t fall apart as your transfer them.
- If you’d like your cookies to look like the ones you see in my photos, press a few chocolate chunks on top of each cookie right after they come out of the oven. You can also sprinkle them with flaky sea salt! I love Maldon sea salt because it’s flaky and delish.
I speak truth when I tell you these are some of the best cookies I’ve ever made – or tasted! ← And I’ve done a lot of both in my life. Bake a batch for yourself and you’ll see taste exactly why.
If you try this recipe for Best Ever Chocolate Chunk Cookies, let me know what you think! Leave a comment below, and don’t forget to snap a pic and tag it #bakerbynature on instagram! Seeing your creations makes my day ♥
More Chocolate Chunk Cookie Recipes:
- Soft Batch Chocolate Chunk Peanut Butter Cookies
- Brown Butter Bourbon Pecan Chocolate Chunk Cookies
- Almond Amaretto Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Best Ever Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Thick and chewy Chocolate Chunk Cookies. Sure to become your new favorite!
Ingredients
- 1 cup (2 sticks or 16 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted until browned and brought back to room temperature (see post for more on this)
- 2 and 1/3 cups all-purpose flour (plus more ONLY if the dough seems to need it; adding one tablespoon at a time)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup + 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar, packed
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, roughly chopped
Instructions
For the Brown Butter:
- Place the butter in a small saucepan over medium-high heat and cook for 3 to 4 minutes – stirring almost constantly – until the butter has browned. Pour the brown butter into a heatproof bowl, being sure to scrape all of the "toasted" bits into the bowl as well. Place the bowl in the refrigerator for 1 hour, or until the butter is at room temperature. You’ll know the butter is at room temperature when you press a finger into the top and it makes a slight indentation. It should be solid but soft.
- Once the butter is at room temperature, you're ready to get baking!
- Preheat your oven to 375 degrees (F).
For the Best Ever Chocolate Chunk Cookies:
- In a medium-sized bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
- In a large bowl using a handheld electric mixer, or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine both sugars, vanilla, and browned butter; cream on medium-speed until light and fluffy; about 2 minutes. Add in the eggs, one at a time, beating for 15 seconds after each addition. Turn mixer off. Using a wooden spoon or sturdy rubber spatula, gently fold in the flour, stirring only until the flour begins to disappear. Fold in the chocolate chunks.
- Roll 3 tablespoon sized scoops of dough between your palms to form a ball (they should be big; almost a 1/4 cup), then place on prepared sheet (make sure to leave enough room in between each cookie for inevitable spreading). Continue this process until all the dough has been rolled. Place baking sheets in preheated oven, one at a time, and bake for 9 to 10 minutes, or until golden at the edges but still soft in the middle. Repeat with all cookie dough. Let cookies cool for 10 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to a wire wrack to cool completely.
Notes
Total time includes bringing the butter back to room temperature.
Tried it and loved it?Snap a picture and share it with me on Instagram @Bakerbynature and by using the hashtag #BakerByNature
I wanted to make these tomorrow morning for later in the evening (: Looks amazing! I was wondering, a another comment said… do they really taste like caramel? I’ve never used browned butter before so I’m a little anxious. Also, about how many cookies does this recipe make? 🙂
Hi Erica. They have a slightly nutty/ caramely taste from the brown butter, but it’s not overwhelming – just delicious 🙂 The cookies are a small batch (about 1 dozen) but you can certainly double the recipe if needed! xo
Hi I live in the UK and would love to make these but can you tell me how much a US stick of butter weighs? Thanks
Hi Angela! One stick of butter here weighs 4 ounces. I hope that helps 🙂
This looks so yummy!! I’m definitely trying these out today. Can you share any alternative to bake cookies without egg.
Hi Aashi. Unfortunately I haven’t tried making this recipe without the eggs 🙁
When I seen these I couldn’t wait to make them!! I did have to mix on high for about 7-8 minutes to get it creamy!! The only downfall I see with these cookies is that they definitely don’t make enough!! Lol. I’ll be making a double or triple batch next time!! We have three boys who LOVE cookies!! My five year old said the dough tastes like caramel!! Love the browned butter!!
These are really good! I just made them and I didn’t have enough chocolate so I used Reese peanut butter cup. They are really moist and chewy!
Hi Janelle! Oooh, I bet the addition of PB cups made them something special. So happy you enjoyed the recipe 🙂
Help! Just started making these and by butter/sugars never “fluffed” up. It remained a wet soggy mess.
Hi Anne. Did you beat them on high speed for 3-4 minutes?
I’m experiencing the same problem. They have been mixing in my Kitchenaide for about 10 minutes. Does the butter need to be chilled after browning?
Hi Jennifer. Yes, the butter should be brought back to room temperature. You want it semi-solid; not liquid but soft enough to show an indentation when gently pressed with a spoon or spatula.
Thank you! I see that in the instructions now but I didn’t see it previously. These cookies are so amazingly yummy!! I’m making them for a fourth time today 🙂
¡Qué ricas! Me encantan las galletas de chocolate y estas tienen que ser superjugosas, me la apunto!!! Besos!
GIMMEGIMMEGIMMMEEEEEEEEEE!
I am obsessed. These cookies really do look PERFECT!
Hi just wondering if you used top and bottom heat in the ober or just bottom heat?
WANT. You had me at brown butter! I’m seriously making these as soon as I get home from work!
Yessss! Can I come over?!
I am making these STAT. I love me some brown butter!
Yes! Brown butter high five!
Brown butter?? Your recipe said softened butter.
They are good, but the best ever? No way.
I, too, wonder why people comment on the photography.
Baking is an ART, that’s why! I for one, always take pictures of the things I bake, especially when it looks as good as these. I mean, that may be one of the most delicious looking cookies I’ve ever seen. Bravo to you, bakerbynature!